The present invention relates to a bracket for use in a curtain airbag for attaching a curtain airbag to be developed in a curtain-like manner along a side of a vehicle body of an automobile or the like to the vehicle body and a curtain airbag apparatus provided with the same.
Hitherto, as one of airbags expanded and developed by introducing a gas in the event of collision of a vehicle such as an automobile or the like, a so-called curtain airbag developing in a curtain-like manner along a side of a vehicle body is well known. This curtain airbag is configured to be, normally, housed along an intersecting corner portion of a ceiling portion and a side surface portion of an interior of the vehicle body while being folded into an elongated shape along the intersecting corner portion. When the vehicle receives an impact from the side by a side collision or the like, the gas is introduced into an inside of the curtain airbag, and the curtain airbag is expanded and developed downward along the side of the vehicle body.
In general, this curtain airbag is attached to the vehicle body on both lateral sides by fixing a plurality of attaching pieces (attaching piece portions) provided at an edge portion of an airbag at a predetermined pitch to a plurality of respective attaching portions provided at the intersecting corner portion of the aforementioned vehicle interior via a bracket for use in the curtain airbag, for holding the attaching pieces, with bolts or the like. Such a bracket for use in a curtain airbag is described in, for example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-104234)
The curtain airbag is configured to be attached to both lateral sides as described above. Further, the curtain airbag is attached to the vehicle body via the bracket for use in the curtain airbag at a plurality of portions in a front and rear direction of the vehicle body at each lateral side. Consequently, for optimizing in view of a reduction of the number of parts and an assembling work, it is demanded to improve general versatility so that the same bracket for use in the curtain airbag can be applied to a plurality of portions.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a bracket for use in a curtain airbag and a curtain airbag apparatus capable of improving general versatility.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.